High street news don’t get more exciting than an announcement of a new Topshop collab. It’s what kept all the fashion girlies on their toes back in the late 2000s and all throughout the 2010s. From Kate Moss and Christopher Kane to Marques’Almeida, Ashish, Meadham Kirchhoff, Celia Birtwell and even Beyoncé’s Ivy Park, the list of creatives who created collections for everyone’s favourite high street chain is pretty major. Now, British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker is continuing this legacy, marking the first major collab since Topshop’s revival.
Tolu Coker x Topshop: everything we know
Coker is teaming up with Topshop on an 18-piece capsule collection that was announced during the first day of London Fashion Week. A few of its knitwear pieces walked the catwalk during the designer’s AW26 show, with a stacked front row that included Little Simz, Cat Burns and fashion designer Stella McCartney.
Her capsule collection for Topshop is an exploration of ‘the modern woman in motion’ and an ode to the ‘lived architecture of London’. While the exact pieces and prices are still TBC, the designer spoke about taking inspiration from the notion of all them being cross-generational, cross-cultural heirlooms that borrow elements of classic British style. Tailoring and vintage details will be peppered throughout, with sculptural denim playing a major role in the looks. Another key part of the collection is sustainability, as the collection features recycled materials. Instead of creating a fictional setting, Coker says the pieces are crafted with the purpose of movement and function, but also as an opportunity to celebrate personal style.
On the collaboration, Tolu Coker shared: ‘Topshop was my first job when I was 16, so this collaboration is personal, but it’s also a statement of intent. […] The collection is built to live beyond a season: transeasonal, versatile, and made with longevity in mind. I believe the positive future of our industry lies in collaboration. It takes bravery to interrogate what ‘accessible’ can mean and to take real steps to evolve it. We don’t have all the answers, but this is a step in the right direction, and a foundation we can build upon.’
As always, Coker’s work is a platform for her creative community of long-time collaborators. The collection is captured in a campaign film was directed by her brother Ade Coker, while the photography was captured by Rashidi Noah.